Here we are in a new year and everyone's throwing around goals and becoming the "new them". I'm over here trying to figure out how we are several days into the new year and I'm still trying to wrap up 2018. Ah well, I'll get there. Instead of actually accomplishing something, I'll write a blog post. I’m joining Deb and Coco‘s virtual coffee date and sharing what I'd chat about over coffee. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I kind of forgot about my blog over the break. I can't even blame it on being busy - I had time to read a bunch of books and chill with my family. It was just kind of nice to take a break and not wonder what I should write about next. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I don't want a "new … [Read more...]
Lifetime Half #68: ZOOMA Annapolis
ZOOMA Annapolis 2017 June 3, 2017 2:23:16 Temp: Warm What I wore:hat, tank top, a Skirt Sports Happy Girl, Feetures socks, and Altra Escalante (Note that I changed my outfit at the very last moment and did not wear compression socks...) ZOOMA Annapolis 2008 was the first half marathon I ever ran. I made some rookie mistakes and had a miserable race. Since then, I ran it once as a half marathon and once as a 10K, both times as a ZOOMA Ambassador (use code ERIKA2017 for any ZOOMA race). Since 2017 was the 10th year of the half marathon, I decided I needed to run it as a half marathon again, even though I prefer to run the 10K. Why do I prefer the 10k? These ladies. Friday night before the half marathon has become a chance to … [Read more...]
5 Reasons I’m excited about 2017 ZOOMA Annapolis
This year I hit my 9th year as a blogger. In that time, I've run 6 marathons and 62 half marathons. But what you might not know is that prior to starting this blog, I'd only run a small handful of races, with the longest one being the Army 10 Miler (and I could barely walk after it.) I started my blog because I wanted to run the Marine Corps Marathon and Beer Geek was tired of hearing about my training. That's right - I decided to run a marathon despite being a newbie runner and never having run past 10 miles. Luckily I gave myself plenty of time to train. Enter ZOOMA Annapolis. I decided that if I was going to run a marathon, I should probably run a half marathon first. I targeted ZOOMA because it was in the right place in my … [Read more...]
Skirt Sports Ambassador Weekend and 13er/5k
Have you ever had a weekend that you had super high expectations for and then it turned out even better than you could have ever expected? That was this weekend at the Skirt Sports ambassador retreat and 13er/5K. It was a whirlwind trip with some glitches and some craziness, but worth every penny spent and all the logistics that went into it. I left DC on Friday morning, with a bit of a hangover and not nearly enough sleep. Beer Geek's sister and her husband had visited on Thursday evening and I had a lovely time hanging out with them. Unfortunately, that meant I packed my suitcase at 1:30am and then got up at 5am. Thankfully, it was a Skirt Sports weekend, so I literally grabbed handfuls of Happy Girls, a couple of Gym Girl Ultras, … [Read more...]
The sponsor of my dreams
Have you ever sat down and thought about what company you'd love to be a spokesperson for? You know, that person that EVERYONE associates with a particular product. Maybe it's a running product like skirts or shoes, or a particular food brand, or even something bigger. That's our topic for Tuesdays on the Run this week: Who is your dream sponsor? I'll admit I had a hard time with this one. After all, I am an ambassador for some pretty amazing companies whose products I'd own even if I was not an ambassador. In fact, they are just aiding and abetting my obsessions. For example, I love Skirt Sports. I loved them from the day I put on my first Happy Hour (an old version of the Happy Girl.) I bought new skirts as often as I could and wore … [Read more...]
Sometimes you really need a coffee date with friends
Happy Saturday! This post is publishing WAY before I get up today. It's been a long hard week and I'm sleeping in. Anyways, I'm joining up with my friends Deborah, Coco, and Lynda for a virtual coffee date. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that this week was a week of crazy ups and downs. My kids finally went back to school after missing 8! school days (ok, one was a planned teacher work day). I love my children, but it was great to finally get back to a routine. We went a bit feral while they were home - staying up past midnight and sleeping until noon. Yeah, it was good to get back on track. … [Read more...]
A very merry coffee date
Happy Saturday! I'm sitting here with a cup of coffee, having survived my first holiday party of the season. No, I'm not hungover (I had to drive), just tired. Anyways, I'm joining up with my friends Deborah, Coco, and Lynda for a virtual coffee date. If we were having coffee, I'd tell you that I'm really excited to have been invited back to be a ZOOMA ambassador this year. The program has changed a bit, so when I get my code, it will be good for any of the three races that they have this year: Cape Cod, Annapolis, and Florida. … [Read more...]
Runner’s World Half Marathon 2015 Race Recap
Runner's World Half Marathon October 18, 2015 2:27:30 Temp: Mid to high 30s and windy What I wore: hat,tank top, half zip, Brooks Nightlife Essential Run jacket, Skirt Sports Happy Girl Skirt(this is an affiliate link), PROcompression socks, and Altra Running One 2 (affiliate link). I knew that my goal for the Runner's World Half was to run at my marathon pace for the entire half marathon. Given that I was still coughing and had hardly run since mid September, I was a bit worried that even my planned marathon pace was going to be too much for this race. It was really chilly and windy and this race started away from the nice warm buildings and flushing bathrooms. I walked over with Heather and Jen and we did stop at the bathrooms on … [Read more...]
Runner’s World Half and Festival Highlights
If you follow me on any form of social media, you know I spent the weekend running around Bethlehem, Pennsylvania as a Social Media Influencer for Runner's World. While we only ran 26.2 official miles, there were multiple little runs and a lot of walking. This is one of the few times I wish I had a step tracker LOL. So much happened this weekend that I'm going to have to break it into multiple posts. And I'm sure that even with that, I'll miss some of the amazing pieces. Thursday, I was late getting out of DC (no surprise there), but I made it into Bethlehem with a bit of time to relax before our trip out to Runner's World Headquarters. I, of course, took that time to check out our awesome gifts from the sponsors. So much … [Read more...]
Things I want to do at #RWHalf
If you've been watching me on twitter or instagram, I'm sure you've seen a picture or two of the fun I'm having here. Getting out of my house on time was a challenge, but I made it and I'm having a blast. Here are five things I'm looking forward to this weekend (some I've already accomplished LOL): Meeting Bart Yasso. Somehow in all the time I've been involved in racing, I have yet to meet him. (In fact, at this point, I've already met him and seen his office. It's ok to be jealous! Also note the cute Tantrum Lotta Love top - I'll be giving one away on Monday!) Meeting Deena Kastor. She's hosting one of the lunches I'll be going to this weekend. I'm going to do my best to not go all fangirl on her, but well, I might. Getting … [Read more...]
Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon and Half Marathon Discount
Is Rock n Roll Las Vegas marathon or half marathon on your bucket list? Want to run down the Las Vegas Strip at night? Well, in an unusual move, RNR has given each of their Rock 'n' Bloggers a code to share that brings the price on the Rock n Roll Las Vegas marathon or the half marathon down to $145! Both races start at 4:30pm on November 15, 2015! Use code MCMMamaRunsRNRLV! This promotion expires October 1, but RNR reserves the right to end it early, so jump on it NOW! OK, signed up for Las Vegas? Then you are going to want to sign up for RNR Arizona. Not only is it a cool race to run, because hey, Arizona in January! But you get a special medal for running Las Vegas and Arizona. Ok, so those two races sound … [Read more...]
Discount Code Roundup
It occurred to me last night that I am regularly sharing discount codes here, but not all of them are on my sidebar. So, to make it easy on my readers, I'm putting all of my codes in one place. I will likely turn this into a link from my top bar at some point. (Disclaimer: some of the links and some of the codes are affiliates, most are not.) Races Rock 'n' Roll MCMMamaRunsRNR gets $15 off marathons and half marathons in 2015 Includes Canadian destinations – Montreal and Vancouver £3 (GBP) off International races Does not include: Mexico events, 1-miles, 5k, 10k, Kids Rock, 2-Person Relay, or TourPass Expires on 12/31/2015 Fit Foodie 5K (Fairfax, VA) MAMARUNS gets you 50% off the race. Shape Diva Dash DC (should … [Read more...]
